I am not a Seattle native. 4 years ago, I was living in Orlando. I was sick and tired of Florida weather and the people there, so I decided that I was going to move to Vancouver, BC. I had heard from friends that lived there that it was gorgeous, so I decided to visit it before making my final decision. I took a plane to Seattle and then my friends picked me up and drove me to Vancouver. I didn't get a chance to see much of Seattle, but on the way back from Vancouver, I stopped to check out the city, and fell in love with Seattle. I didn't know how much it rained and didn't know anything about it, other than I loved it.
So I chose to live in Seattle :)
Pros: There are many different neighborhoods that are distinctly different, which give you a chance to settle down in a place where people are similar to you (college students, large families, artsy people, etc). There are affordable neighborhoods and everywhere you go, it's beautiful. Seattle is on water and surrounded by mountains, so you can enjoy sports/hobbies that involved either one (skiing, hiking, sailing, fishing, etc). Schooling in Seattle is top quality - even in public schools! Music is a big part of our city and our schools have great music programs that compete around the state and US! Seattle is a very international city, so you will find people from all over the world living in Seattle. This also means that we have tons of international supermarkets, so if you're a big chef, you can expand your cookbook. Our public library system is great. There is a library in every neighborhood and if you can find a book in your local library, you can it requested, and another library will send it there. We have very fresh fish and seafood - healthy foods caught right at home :) Everything is very close by. There is little traffic, for a city. Downtown is full of great events and museums. There are tons of free things that go on in the city, such as Shakespeare in the Park (free Shakespeare plays in local parks!) and music events. There are large businesses like Boeing in/near Seattle, so if you are an engineer(or other?), there are lots of job opportunities. Seattle has a very treasured and historic downtown area where it feels like you're in Europe. Seattle is also very close to Canada and has an international airport with nonstop flights to Asia, if you like to travel. It is a gorgeous city, as well, with many hills and parks, so people, like myself, that enjoy nature, can really enjoy Seattle. Public transportation is great as we have buses from all of the city and back, that everyone takes to go to work. The university is also wonderful for young adults/students. And lastly (because my hands are getting tired), Seattle is full of very relaxed, easygoing people. Everyone is very passive and eco-friendly. I used to be very nervous all of the time, but the people here are kind and chill, so it makes you feel calm too. :) It's a great place to go as a tourist to relax as well.
Cons: Seattle weather can be a con for anyone that cannot deal with rain. We DO have lots of rain, but it does not last all day nor does it last all week. Usually, it's a light shower in the morning or evening, but the reason why tourists/foreigners say it's a depressing city is because it is normally very cloudy. We don't received the sun very often :( so if you don't eat very well or don't have a good diet, the lack of vitamins from the sun may affect your health. It also brings people down, emotionally, but I believe that after time, some people get used to it. However, that depends on everyone. Seattle is not a very sports-oriented place. Of course, kids do sports, you see people jogging rain or shine (literally), but we are not so sports-obsessed, like in New Jersey, so to speak. Our school sports teams don't really matter much. Music and art is big part of Seattle and you'll find that it is a home to many inspiring artists. If you are extremely athletic, perhaps Seattle isn't for you. But, you'll always find that people here are ready to go jogging/biking any day (and biking up hills in not an easy task, I tell you). On the subject of hills, cars tend to use more gas that in other cities because everywhere you go is up and then down and then up and then down again. But, everything is close by, so it tends to average out. When there is a heavy snowstorm in the city (which does not happen often), the city is paralyzed because cars/buses cannot drive on the icy hills. And lastly, our tax rate is a bit high (0.09?
If I could, I would live in Europe. But, if you are saying anywhere else in the US, I would chose to live in Seattle.
Hope I helped :)
Answered By: Tabby - 7/25/2011 |